Ms. Lawyer

by Lea Coll

  “Sure.” It was nice out, but the fire would ward off the mosquitoes.

  He held the door open for me and I followed him down the deck stairs to the patio below. He’d turned the outside lights on and the ones hanging overhead twinkled, creating a cozy atmosphere. I settled into one of the chairs by the fire pit while he got the fire started. Then he came over to sit beside me.

  “Emma, I know you’re reluctant to jump back into anything, but I need to tell you something. I think I should have told you this before, but it will mean more tonight.” He took a steadying breath and then continued, “I want to be with you. I don’t care where we live. I don’t care where I work.”

  I looked at him in confusion. He’d just won his dream job. Even though this is what I wanted, I couldn’t help but be surprised.

  “I will transfer to the city to be closer to you. I don’t think I want to do the long distance thing. I don’t want to be away from you.”

  “I couldn’t ask you to give up being sheriff for me. That’s your dream.”

  Luke shook his head. “None of that matters if I don’t have you.”

  “What about this?” I asked, gesturing towards the fields in front of us. I couldn’t imagine leaving this behind.

  “What? The farm?” When I nodded in response, he said, “I would give it up for you. Sawyer could take over the house. It’s his too. It would still be in the family.”

  My eyes searched his face but all I could see was honest sincerity. He was serious. He’d said everything I wanted him to say, but I couldn’t ask him to give up his job. “Luke, I appreciate you saying that, but I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

  Now that he’d said what I wanted all along, I knew I could never ask that of him. Being the sheriff was so much a part of him. Being one of many officers in the city would never be enough. I couldn’t help but analyze every angle. It was what I’d always done. I felt a crazy impulse to quit my job and move here. It was so unlike me though. Surely his sheriff’s position was more important than my job. I worked in the public sector job in order to get some money back on my law school loans. But there was no guarantee that there would be money in the budget after I’d been working there for ten years. I didn’t have to work as a public defender. There were other jobs I could take closer to Luke.

  “I don’t want to be practical with you,” he said. “My job and career have always been the most important things in my life. But when you were gone I realized that none of it mattered if you weren’t here to share it with. What’s the point of getting my dream job if I can’t celebrate the win with you?”

  “Luke, I have to be honest with you.” For the first time, Luke started to look nervous, not sure what I was going to say. “First of all, I’m so proud of you. How you handled the election. I know you got caught up in the mud-slinging in the beginning, but you quickly decided that wasn’t you. I could never ask you to give up being sheriff to be a city police officer.” I didn’t mention that being an officer in the city was incredibly more dangerous than here on the Eastern Shore. “Secondly, I don’t want to live in the city. Being a public defender wasn’t my dream job. It was a means to an end. I got trial experience and the possibility of repayment of my student loans. I’ve worked there for five years now so I have experience if I want to move on. I want to live here.”

  He looked at me surprised, “Really?”

  I got up then and went to sit in his lap. His arms came around me as soon as I’d settled, “Yes, haven’t you been paying attention?” I asked, nudging him in the ribs. “I love it here. I love the friends I’ve made here.” I paused, and looked up at the face that I found I couldn’t live without. “I love you.”

  No sooner were the words out of my mouth then his mouth was on mine insistent and almost punishing. “I was supposed to say that first.” He practically growled.

  “It’s not a competition,” I said, enjoying this conversation a lot more than I thought I was going to. I had not planned on saying how I felt, but when he offered to quit his job—the most important thing in the world to him—and to give up his family farm, the feeling overwhelmed me. His farm was so much a part of who he was. To deny that would be to deny a fundamental part of him. I couldn’t even imagine him living anywhere else but here.

  “I love you,” he said, as he shifted me so that I was straddling his lap. He shoved off the blanket onto the floor and stood up in one quick motion my legs going around his waist. He was kissing me and walking me up the stairs to his bedroom. He managed to open the French doors without lifting his lips from mine.

  He carried me up the stairs and gently laid me down on the bed. His placed his knee on the bed first leaning over me. “Emma,” he said, as he pushed my hair out of my face and placed both hands on my face, looking into my eyes. “I’m so glad you decided to take a chance and move here to my town. You sassed your way into my life and I couldn’t be happier.”

  “No more talking, Luke,” I said, as I pulled his head down so we could kiss again. This time felt different than the other times. He seemed content to kiss and savor the moment. We poured all of our love into every touch and every kiss. Then he sat up to pull off his shirt. I pulled mine off at the same time, eager to be skin to skin. He pulled down my skirt and took off my shoes. He took my nipples in his mouth, focusing on one and then the other. I swear there was a direct link from my nipples down to my pussy. I was pushing up in a silent quest for more when Luke kissed down my stomach and to my core. He pulled my panties down my legs and threw them over his shoulder.

  He licked circles around my clit and pushed first one finger and then two fingers into me. Soon I was panting his name over and over. Then he finally entered me slowly. When he was in me to the hilt, he stopped, and we both adjusted to the feel. It was heaven. Then, when I couldn’t take it anymore, he started to slowly thrust into me. The whole time he kept his eyes trained on mine. From time to time he would whisper promises into my ear, and I would arch up into him whenever he did. It was sensual and overwhelming. I felt tears building in my eyes as my climax built again and he went over the edge right after me.

  Luke rested his weight on me until I couldn’t breathe. Then he shifted off of me to his side. When he saw the tears in my eyes, he asked, “Is everything okay?” He wiped the tears from my cheeks.

  “It’s perfect,” I said, my breath hitching from my tears. I’d never experienced anything like this before. He kissed the tears on my cheeks tenderly. “We’re not leaving this bed tonight.”

  “Can I go to the bathroom at least?”

  “I guess that’s okay,” he agreed, smiling tenderly at me.

  “When do your sheriff duties start?”

  “Not yet. I don’t officially start until January.”

  “Oh, that’s right.” No one else was running against him in the November election, so he was the presumptive winner at this point. I couldn’t help but be relieved we would get a break for awhile before his official duties started.

  When I was finished in the bathroom and opened the door, Luke came to stand in the doorway with his hands on the doorframe above his head. I couldn’t remember what I intended to do next. All I could do was take in his hard chest right in front of me. My hands moved of their own volition over his chest and down. Then I started kissing him making my way down. My hands went to his hips and I fell to my knees. “Emma.” he groaned. His now-hard cock was right in front of my face.

  “Keeps your hands where they are,” I said huskily. His hands were still holding onto the frame above his head. I licked the tip of his cock like a lollipop. His hands dropped and one went to fist my hair.

  I pulled back. “No way. Hands up buddy.”

  He groaned again but he complied. My hand fisted around the base of his cock and I sucked him into my mouth. I didn’t think I was amazing at this, but Luke’s eyes were focused on me hungrily and he thrust his cock further into my mouth. His reaction was causing me to get wet again and I finger my clit.

  “
Shit, Emma. You’re so hot doing that.” I could tell he was close. “Emma, I’m going to come.” That’s all he said before he came. I swallowed every drop and smiled in satisfaction.

  His hands finally dropped and he hauled me up. “Did you come?” I shook my head no. I was so turned on. He lifted me onto the counter and pushed my chest back. He pulled my hips forward until I was on the edge and then he kneeled down with his head between my legs. He started licking me like he wanted to devour me. I came so hard I almost scooted right off of the counter.

  “Shit, I was not expecting that, Emma,” he said, standing up.

  “Well, don’t stand in the doorway naked. It’s too tempting.”

  One year later

  LOOKING BACK ON THE SHERIFF’S race, I think it was Luke’s sincere desire to do what was best for the county and the town that won people over. He kept Brad Campbell on as Chief Deputy. The combination of both of their styles was probably the best thing for the town. I was so proud of Luke, for the way he handled the election and the win. He was so humble and thankful.

  I returned to my job in the city until I could get a position on the Eastern Shore. I knew it might be difficult to find a job in Chestertown, but I was open to driving a bit if I needed to. In the meantime, Luke came out every weekend he was off to see me or I would come down to see him.

  A few weeks after the election, Penny quit her job. She was embarrassed by what Ben had done. There was speculation that she was involved in the operation but there was no proof. Now that Ben was behind bars, she moved to be closer to her family so that she had help with the baby. The federal judge in Ben’s case froze their accounts so she didn’t have access to the money he stole. Her position was mine if I wanted it and I took it. It was the perfect solution for now, anyway.

  Ben went to federal prison for fraud in violation of federal racketeering laws. Apparently, he manipulated the weight of the scales so that no one else at Archer would realize he was skimming the metals. The stack of crushed metal was so large the stolen amounts weren’t noticeable by the naked eye and the trucks with the stolen metals were taken through a back entrance at night, which was unguarded.

  Personally, I had visions of running my own law firm one day, maybe with Ashley. Right now, she was in a fierce competition with Logan over an associate’s position at a local firm. I would wait for the dust to settle on that. But when it did, I would suggest we open our own place. With her work ethic and my vision, I knew we could make a go of it. It would be freeing to be my own boss that’s for sure. When I moved back to take over Penny’s position, I had grand plans to get my own place. I moved into Luke’s farmhouse temporarily, but it felt like home. Whenever I talked about getting my own place that summer, Luke grunted in response. At the end of the summer, he asked me to stay and I did. I never had any intention of leaving.

  Luke wasn’t in court as much once he was the sheriff. He was just as visible around town and the courthouse but he wasn’t on the streets arresting people. He wasn’t called as a witness often. Today he was here to observe his new officer testify for the first time in court. I promised I would go easy when I cross-examined him. I would do no such thing. I looked forward to making the officer squirm. I winked at Luke when I was done and shot him a cheeky grin. I knew he would make me pay for that later. But I loved when he played bad cop.

  When I was done talking to my client after court, a hand came to rest on my shoulder and a commanding voice said, “Ms. Lawyer.”

  I turned to see Luke standing tall in his sheriff’s uniform. I cocked a brow at him. “Yes?” I asked.

  “I need to speak with you.”

  “Okay.” The hallway was mostly deserted as my client had left and most of the courtrooms were still in session.

  “After that display in the courtroom, I’m going to have to give you this.”

  What the hell? In his hand was a folded up piece of paper. Was that a ticket? I took it from him and opened it slowly seeing the familiar cartoon drawing that I came to expect from him. “What’s this?” I asked, looking up at him.

  “Read it,” he said simply.

  I took a better look at the drawing. I was wearing a wedding dress and Luke was in a suit kneeling in front of me holding my hand. We were outside with the water behind us. Underneath it read: “Marry me?”

  I looked up at him in surprise, but he was on his knee with a ring box in his hands. His eyebrow was cocked waiting for my answer.

  A smile spread over my face, “Yes!” I exclaimed. I didn’t need a grand speech from him. It was the perfect proposal.

  “Emma, will you love me for the rest of your days? Will you stand by me through everything that life throws at us? Will you live with me in my family home and raise our children?”

  “Yes, yes, yes, to all of it,” I said, as he slid the ring on my finger. It was a round princess-cut diamond on a simple platinum band. It was simple. It was perfect. It was us.

  “I’ve kept all of the drawings you’ve given me, you know?”

  He stood up, his hands on either side of my face, and leaned in for a kiss. “I think that means more to me than anything.”

  “Me too, Luke. Me too.” I couldn’t wait to show our children one day the story of how we met.

  Most importantly, I’d like to thank my readers for taking a chance on an indie author. I’d also like to thank my husband for not only encouraging me to write the book but for taking care of the kids so I could.

  To Aunt Patty, thank you for reading my book first and offering your advice and wisdom.

  To my mom, thank you for being my sounding board and support throughout the whole process.

  To Lee Ann, thank you for reading and proofreading the final draft of my book. Thank you for being a sounding board and a never ending source of support. I can’t wait to beta read your first book.

  Thank you to my editing team, James Gallagher and Nancy Smay at Evident Ink.

  Thank you to Krista Laun at Laun Studio for designing the amazing cover.

  Lea Coll worked for over ten years as a trial attorney in both civil and criminal law. She earned a J.D. from University of Baltimore School of Law where she was production editor on Law Review. Throughout the course of her legal career she wrote opinions for judges and various legal memoranda, briefs, and motions for a Fortune 500 Company. After years of legal writing, she enjoys the freedom that comes with writing fiction. Now that she stays home with her children she survives by plotting stories while fetching snacks and running back and forth to their activities.

  Working as a trial attorney influenced the legal and courtroom drama in her book. She has an interest in the history and charm of small towns which is why she chose Chestertown on Maryland’s Eastern Shore for the setting.

  She grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania and currently resides in Maryland with her husband and three children.

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